


Woodscout - long oneshot

by jay_doots



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, TW: Kidnapping, idk if i'll integrate this with the main story, this kinda counts as a side-project, tw: abuse, tw: trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:53:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24939364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jay_doots/pseuds/jay_doots
Summary: TW: mentions/implications of abuse, kidnapping, and trauma.Preston glanced around, scouring the edges of the woods for his missing friend for the twentieth time in the last ten minutes. After Reese left at lunch, he had yet to return. He'd been gone for what felt like hours, and he got the sense Harrison and Nerris felt the same. The most amazing part was that David somehow hadn't noticed that a camper was missing.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

"Yeah, but it's not like you would have beat him anyway." Harrison said, grinning smugly at Nerris. The two were deeply invested in their argument about something D&D related, but Reese hadn't been paying attention. Today's activity was supposed to involve going to a real museum, but instead David decided it would be better, and hopefully safer, to have an 'archaeology camp' for the day. It was really just a bunch of kids digging holes by the edge of the lake, but it was better than taking the campers into the city again. By now, most of the campers had stopped digging, choosing to either do their own thing or hang out with their friends. All except for Space Kid, who was still fascinated with the worms and rat bones he was digging up.

Preston suddenly lit up, turning excitedly to Reese. "Oh! I just had a fantastic idea!"

Reese flinched a little at the sudden energy, but was intrigued nonetheless. "Okay…?"

"I've been writing out the draft for a play, and I want to get your opinion on it." Preston briefly explained, retrieving a bulky script from seemingly nowhere.

"Wait, why me?"

"Yeah, we're here too you know!" Nerris piped up, both magic kids having turned their attention to their fellow entertainers. Harrison nodded in agreement.

"Exactly, you guys should include us more."

Preston rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically. "Fine, you two can read it if you want. I just need outside feedback so I can make it more appealing."

He split the script into three piles, handing them out to his friends. Reese quickly flipped through it, eyes widening. "This is a bit… long, don't you think?"

"Well it's just the draft, I can trim it down later. Now read it!"

After a few minutes, the three campers finished reading through their portions of the draft, eager to get it over with so they could enjoy the rest of the day. They handed their respective draft-piles back to Preston, each of them with very different opinions written on their features.

"Well, what did you think?" Preston asked, eager to hear their feedback.

"I think there should be more adventuring. If they're just stuck in one little town, how are they supposed to escape from their problematic families?" Nerris began, clearly ready to write her own version of the play, when Harrison cut in.

"See, I like the small town setting, but the characters were a bit lackluster. What if one of them had, like, magical powers?"

Preston sighed, defeated. "Everyone's a critic." he muttered to himself. He looked back to Reese. "Well? Do you have anything to add?"

"I mean, I liked it, it was just too long. If it were shorter, I could definitely watch this." Reese said, a sincere expression on his face. Preston brightened up a bit.

\---

The activity ended as most did, with David calling the campers to lunch in the mess hall. Reese tended to sit with Preston and the magic kids, although sometimes the three of them would split, leaving Reese to make his own decisions. This was getting easier the longer he stayed at camp. He could get used to this.

Today was another 'split' day, so Reese sat on his own, hesitantly picking at the food on the tray in front of him. He was alerted to the sound of a tray being placed across from him, and looking up he saw Space Kid staring at him.

"Uh… hey, Space Kid. What's up?"

He got no response, Space Kid just furrowing his brow further.

"Are… are you okay?" Again, no response. Reese looked around, almost searching for an excuse to get out of this horrible situation. He saw Ered looking in his general direction, looking for a place to sit. He waved her over.

"Hey, Ered."

"'Sup dude." she glanced over to Space Kid, immediately noticing his strange behaviour. "What's his deal?"

"Dunno, he just kinda… came over like that."

At this, Space Kid's face returned to normal, and he proceeded to eat the food on his tray, shoving it under his helmet just so he could get a bite.

"Alright, you have fun with that." Ered said, leaving Reese alone with Space Kid as she moved to a different table. Reese looked back at Space Kid, who was still struggling to eat his potatoes. The moment from before stuck out in his mind, and before he knew what he was doing, he stood up.

"Nope. I can't deal with this right now." he said, before promptly opening the door to the mess hall and leaving, all while ignoring the scattered stares he got from some of the other campers in the room.

Reese walked in the general direction of the lake, looking to get some fresh air. He decided to take a new route this time, walking through the forest around the bank of the lake. He walked on for a while, letting his mind drift. He thought of his friends, both old and new. He didn't know why he was friends with any of them, but he knew he'd rather die than lose them. What were they doing without him, anyway?

\---

Preston glanced around, scouring the edges of the woods for his missing friend for the twentieth time in the last ten minutes. After Reese left at lunch, he had yet to return. He'd been gone for what felt like hours, and he got the sense Harrison and Nerris felt the same. The most amazing part was that David somehow hadn't noticed that a camper was missing.

\---

Reese stopped, taking in his surroundings. This was it. He was totally lost. He'd practically been going in circles for the past hour, and had no idea how to navigate a forest. He leaned against a tree, sliding down so that he was sitting. He could just wait for a bear to eat him, or on the off-chance someone else was this deep in the forest, he could wait for someone to find him.

He didn't have to wait for very long, as he heard footsteps, and then a voice piped up. "Snake, for the last time, we aren't killing anyone! Our goal is total domination, not mass murder!"

Reese stood up, ready to give in and ask these strangers for help. He walked towards the direction of the voices, and saw four kids in green uniforms, walking towards him. It was getting dark, making it harder to make out any of their features beneath the shade of the trees. The voice from before spoke up again.

"Oh, well that's interesting. I didn't expect to see anyone else out here so late. State your name and rank, soldier!"

Reese was taken aback by this formality, but managed to squeak out a response. "I-I, uh… m-my name's Reese. I got lost a-and I'm trying to get back to camp. Y-you wouldn't happen to know the way, would you?"

The other figure stayed silent for a moment before replying. "You don't mean Camp Campbell, by any chance?"

"Uh, y-yeah. How did you know?"

"Well, we were just on our way there! We could… take you with us, if you'd like?"

Reese grimaced. He could practically hear the sinister grin on the figure's face. "You didn't have to say it like that, but sure."

"Excellent." The other figure stated simply, as he stepped into the light of the setting sun. Reese was shocked at what he saw.

"Oh… God, you're gross." he remarked.

"Come on, really?"

"I-I'm sorry, it's just… oh man." Reese apologised, taking a step back. Just then, another more nasally voice spoke up.

"Oh trust me, that's nothing." A squelching sound could be heard as another, somehow more disgusting kid stepped into the light. Reese tried not to vomit at the sudden noxious smell that filled the air.

"Jesus, are you all this awful?" Reese's statement was met by a grunt as a third kid stepped out. Reese wasn't sure he was even a kid - he was so tall and… well-built? He couldn't tell. Finally, the fourth kid was visible in the fading light of the evening. He was surprisingly short, especially compared to his comrades. He wore an eyepatch, and looked like he'd seen some shit, despite possibly being the youngest one there.

"Okay, so I was wrong. Who are you guys, anyway?"

The first kid saluted, introducing himself. "Edward Pikeman, senior patrol leader of Woodscout troop eight-one-eight. These three are my comrades, Snake, Petrol, and… Jermy." he finished, trying not to grimace at the last name.

"Jermy…?"

"Yup, that's me!" Jermy replied, his small movements making more squelching sounds. Snake took a small step to his right, away from Jermy.

All five boys were silent for a moment, not really knowing what to say from there. Reese cleared his throat after shifting around awkwardly, thinking of something to say to break the silence.

"So… why are you headed to camp anyway? You just said you guys are Woodscouts, so I don't see why you should even be going this way in the first place."

With a seemingly newfound confidence, Pikeman replied, "You see, we Woodscouts are obviously superior to your lot, so we've returned to assert our dominance and prove that the Woodscouts are the best camp this side of Lake Lilac!"

"Wait, you've been there before?" Reese asked quizzically. He was sure he would have heard of the Woodscouts by now if they were so great.

"Of course," Pikeman scoffed, "You think we're just out to conquer any camp we come by?"

Reese thought a moment before replying, "I mean, there's only four of you. What's the worst you could do?"

Pikeman's face practically lit up for a moment, before calling for a group huddle among the other Woodscout members. Reese looked on, not having a clue what they could be talking about. There was a lot of excited nodding before they separated, Pikeman facing Reese with that same smug grin as before.

"Good news soldier, there won't just be four of us. Not once we're done with you, anyway."

Before Reese could protest, Pikeman snapped his fingers, Petrol rushed towards Reese, and suddenly everything went dark.

\---

Preston tapped his foot in frustration. Reese had been gone for hours. It was time for dinner and everyone had just been ushered into the mess hall. Preston could guess that David had finally noticed Reese's absence by the fact that he was anxiously discussing something with Gwen, who was getting frustrated with him. He'd had enough. If they weren't going to find his friend, he would. But he knew he couldn't do it alone. He turned to Harrison and Nerris, both of whom had already taken a seat and begun to eat. Preston stabbed his fork into the half-cooked steak on his tray, gaining the attention of his two friends.

"Okay, obviously the counselors aren't doing shit about Reese. I say we should just look for him ourselves."

At this, Nerris's face lit up. "A quest! To find our beloved party member, lost to the secret sacred dark elven woods!"

Harrison rolled his eyes, "Sure, a quest. Maybe he just disappeared?" he paused, a grim expression falling on his features, "Actually no, that's worse. We should get going, then."

The three kids hastily got up from their seats, making a beeline for the door. They stopped only once David called after them, panic clearly heard in his voice.

"Uh, k-kids, hold on! Where are you going?!"

Preston turned, only saying "We're doing your job!" before rushing out the door, his magical companions following closely behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((splitting it into two parts cause it's L O N C C


	2. Chapter 2

Reese fell to his knees, panting heavily. He'd been training for hours, not getting a single break. Pikeman said he'd get a break once he earned it, but he was beginning to doubt he'd even be allowed to sleep tonight. He looked to his right, seeing Petrol standing menacingly with a stopwatch, shaking his head. Pikeman had made Reese attempt this nearly impossible obstacle course over and over again, not letting him stop until he beat a certain time. What that time was, he didn't know, all he knew was that he couldn't beat it. He was far too exhausted, he felt nauseous, like he would pass out at any second. Petrol blew his whistle again, sending ringing through Reese's ears. He dutifully stumbled his way back to the beginning of the course, and upon the second whistle, started again.

\---

Once they reached the pier, Preston hopped into the first boat he saw - the only boat there apparently - and grabbed a hold of the oars. He'd normally leave the boat-rowing to literally anyone else, but time was of the essence if they wanted to get out of the camp quickly. They'd row towards the middle of the lake, wait until the counselors stopped pursuing them, and then row to the adjacent shore and begin their search.

As soon as Harrison and Nerris were in the boat, Preston began to row as fast as his noodle arms would let him, which wasn't really that fast. Thankfully, it was just fast enough to dodge David and Gwen, who skidded to a halt on the pier. David looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack, but Gwen suggested something which seemed to instil some confidence in him. The counselors ran back towards camp, supposedly to get another boat, but they'd be too late.

As soon as the boat reached the shore, Harrison and Nerris got out, already heading into the forest. Preston hung back, his arms aching from all the manual labour. Harrison looked back for a moment.

"Preston, aren't you coming? This was your idea."

Preston shook his head, leaning back. "No, I'll catch up with you in a minute. Just gotta… rest." he explained, letting out an overdramatic sigh. Harrison hesitated, before shrugging and following Nerris into the woods, calling out Reese's name. Hopefully they'd find him soon.

\---

Reese winced as Petrol blew his whistle twice. He'd finally beaten the course. He was trembling, sweat sticking his clothes to his skin, every muscle and bone aching. He felt like shit, but he'd finally finished. He'd finally get a break.

Pikeman stepped out of the tent, a stern look on his face. He addressed Reese with a salute and Reese returned the gesture with as much respect as he could muster, just as he was told. He couldn't go back to training.

"Good work, soldier. It only took you 3 hours." Pikeman stated, his expression practically a threat in itself. Reese balled his fists, trying not to snap at his commanding officer. The harsh training and punishment was far too much for him to handle.

"I… tried my best, sir."

"I should hope so. With such low vitality, well, you should think yourself lucky I'm not going to order that you do it again." he turned, pausing to look back over his shoulder at Reese. "You've earned a break, scout. Use it well."

Reese sighed in relief, only to tense up again as he realised Petrol was still standing next to him. He looked up at the burly scout, who only nodded before following Pikeman to the main tent. Reese could only guess that it meant there would be a meeting soon.

\---

Preston huffed in annoyance as he saw David and Gwen rowing towards him. He'd been resting for too long. Thankfully he could still hear his friends calling for Reese, so he scrambled out of the boat and followed their voices.

The woods had grown incredibly dark by now, so Preston had to practically feel his way around just to avoid walking into trees. It didn't help that there were random muddy spots on the ground, ruining his perfectly clean shoes. Once he thought he was close enough, he called out to his friends.

"Harrison? Nerris?" Through the darkness he could hear Harrison call back, apparently trying not to be too loud.

"Preston, over here!"

He hastily walked in the direction of the voice, until he was met with an all too familiar sight. Those cobblestone walls, topped with barbed wire strung along the top, an excessive amount of tents visible from above. It was the Woodscout's camp. This was the last place he expected to be today.

"I can sense him, I know he's in there!" Nerris stated confidently, not mentioning the fact that there was a fifth pair of footprints visible from where they were standing. Everyone knew there were only four Woodscouts.

\---

Reese laid down in his cot, facing the roof of the tent. After finally getting his breath back from the egregiously intense training module, he decided to lay down and rest until he was needed. There was no point in trying to escape, for one thing. It would only result in more punishment, and he had a feeling he knew what that would entail. Even if he managed to get away, there was no telling what Pikeman would do to his friends. He couldn't risk their safety, not even for his own freedom.

He lifted his head, sitting up as he heard Jermy enter.

"There's gonna be a meeting in a few minutes. Pikeman also said to warn you that if you're late, you'll have to deal with Snake. Which, y'know… kinda sucks."

Reese nodded in acknowledgment, "I'll be there in a second. Thanks, Jermy." Somehow, Jermy was the only scout there with some level of human decency. Probably because he was also somewhat of an outcast, but that didn't matter. Sure, he could do some questionable things sometimes, but he was only following orders, and Reese couldn't blame him for that.

As Reese made his way to the main tent, something caught his eye at the edge of the camp. Just outside of the entrance, he saw Nerris peeking through the gate, only to dart away as the two of them made eye contact. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he rushed over to the barbed-wire gate. He figured he had a minute or two to spare before the meeting, so hopefully he wouldn't get into too much trouble.

Once he reached the gate, he was met with his three friends, all staring hopefully at him. Preston was the first to speak.

"Reese, what the actual fuck is going on?!"

Reese hushed him, "Not so loud! I can't risk getting caught. There's a meeting in a few minutes, when it's done I'll try to come back."

"But we don't have time! David and Gwen will be here any minute, we need to get you out of there!" Nerris replied, panic lacing her voice.

"Yeah, there's no way we're leaving you here. We know what it's like in there, you shouldn't have to go through that." Harrison agreed, earning a worried nod from Preston. Reese already had some questions of his own, but it would have to wait if he wanted to get to the meeting on time.

Apparently he wouldn't have to worry about that, however. As he turned around to leave, he saw Pikeman, flanked by Snake and Petrol, looking at him with a disappointed expression. Reese's heart jumped into his throat.

"Poor, poor Reese. You couldn't even last a day without trying to escape. I expected better from you."

"I-I'm sorry, sir, this is just a misunderstanding-"

"Oh?" Pikeman interrupted, mock intrigue obvious in his tone, "Well if it's a misunderstanding, maybe you should remove those useless associates of yours from the premises! Unless you want them to become recruits too?"

Reese glanced back to his friends, mentally promising himself to never let anything this bad happen to them. Again, apparently.

"But sir, I-"

"Do it, soldier! Or I'll have Snake do it for you." Snake nodded, pulling the sharp candy cane from his mouth, growling menacingly. Reese tried to hide the fact that he was shaking, but he knew it wasn't working. He looked back to his friends.

"Guys, you should go. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." After this shitshow? Not a chance. He'd probably only have some broken ribs if he was lucky.

Preston piped up, more fierce and determined than Reese had seen him in a while. "No fucking way! We came all the way out here, rowed across the lake, walked through mud\- all for you! We are not leaving you here!"

"Yeah! We never leave a party member behind!" Nerris joined in, and the two looked at Harrison, waiting for him to say something.

"Uh… I mean, yeah, that was a lot of work. I can't really think of anything on-brand to say, but it would be preferable if you didn't stay here. In the military base. With those guys."

Preston rolled his eyes before continuing. "The point is, we came here for you, and we aren't just gonna stand here while these peasants put you through unspeakable torture!"

Reese tried not to choke up at this comradery he was witnessing. It was so heart-warming that they would go through all of that just for him. But he'd made up his mind. He wasn't going to leave if it meant risking their safety.

"Look, I can't risk it, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to keep you safe. I hope you understand." he stated simply, beginning to walk back towards Pikeman.

"Good choice, scout."

At that moment, footfall could be heard in the darkness of the woods. All eyes turned their attention to the sound, and none other than Gwen emerged from the shadows.

"Jesus fucking lord, what are you kids doing?" she said, focusing in on Pikeman, "I swear to God, let that kid go, Pikeman. This is literally illegal."

Pikeman straightened his posture, a surprised look on his face. "You had no problem getting rid of Jermy!"

"T-that was a fair trade!" Gwen stuttered, apparently using the first excuse that came to her mind. "Besides, this is the second time you've kidnapped and abused one of our campers! I could call the cops right now and have this camp shut down by tomorrow!"

Now it was Pikeman's turn to panic. "W-well now, let's not get too hasty, Gwendolyn." he chuckled, "Perhaps we could strike a deal?"

"The kid. Now." Gwen said threateningly, reaching for her phone.

"Fine, okay! Petrol, open the gate." Pikeman ordered. Just as Petrol took a step forward, Gwen kicked the gate open. Apparently it had never been locked in the first place.

"Reese, let's go. As for you three," Gwen turned to the other entertainers, "You should be ashamed of yourselves! It's far too late to be dealing with this shit. You could have been mauled, for fuck's sake!" At this, the three shared worried glances among one another. She had a point, there were probably bears around here.

On the way back to camp, everyone was oddly silent. Reese thought about what had happened. He regretted going out into the woods. Just by taking a walk he somehow managed to put his friends in danger. Not to mention the fact that Gwen had to leave David in charge of the camp. There was probably a revolution happening already.

"I-I'm really sorry, you guys. I should have been more careful. I really didn't mean for any of this to happen-"

"Hey, don't worry about it." Gwen interrupted, turning to him with a kind expression. "It all turned out fine, so no big deal, right?"

Reese's eyes drifted to the camp, and he noticed something which Harrison was quick to point out. "Are you sure? 'Cause I think Max is trying to set David on fire." Sure enough, the smaller camper was running after David with a stick he'd set on fire, while other campers cheered him on. Reese chuckled.

"Nothing ever changes, I guess."

\---

As David counted all the campers, making sure no one else went missing, Preston turned to Reese.

"I'm… glad you're okay. I know what those bastards are like, you did well to not die in there."

"Yeah, we were really worried about you!" Nerris cut in, leaning in to meet Reese's eyes. "I don't know what we would've done without our trusty bard."

After a moment of silence, Preston spoke up again. "So, what did they do to you?"

"I-I'd rather not talk about it." Reese stuttered out. The last thing he wanted to do was relive the agony he went through that day. This apparently didn't occur to Preston, as he only became more interested.

"Oh, you must tell me! I could write an epic tale-"

"M-maybe not. I-I mean, just not today. It's been a long day for me."

"You have no taste." Preston huffed jokingly, smiling a little. Reese knew he wouldn't press further. Preston might be determined as determined gets, but he wouldn't push his boundaries like that.

The day finally came to a close, and the campers were sent off to bed. Reese struggled to get comfortable, as his bones were still aching, but he was just glad to not be stuck in the military base that was the Woodscout's camp. He wouldn't have lasted much longer if he was, he knew that for sure. But now, he was back where he belonged. Safe, for the most part, in a run-down old camp by the lake.


End file.
